Halfway Gone
by sebsbadkitty
Summary: ...All that was left was to try to pick up the pieces that fell apart among the rest of the group with the destruction of the other side. It was downright near impossible. They weren't just faces lost in passing... Despite this being labeled with only Damon and Stefan as characters this story will everyone from the 5x22 episode in some capacity. Enjoy.
1. Hello Hello

_The Other Side had fallen. That much was obvious. Bonnie was gone. Damon was gone. They were both dead, there was nothing that could be done to stop it. All that was left was to try to pick up the pieces that fell apart amongst the rest of the group with the destruction of the other side. It was downright near impossible. They weren't just faces lost in passing. They weren't unfortunate nobodies. They left behind their significant others and their friends and family. None of them were taking it well, but they all had their ways to grieve and deal with the pain._

_Until they found a way to bring them back. Or at least attempt to. A stretch, but if there was the slightest chance, they would take it._

_**Five months later...**_

Stefan sat at the bar of a club just outside Mystic Falls with Ric by his side. Each one had a glass of their respective favorite brand of alcohol in front of them. Stefan's was untouched for the most part. Ric's was empty and he was waiting on a refill. Both men wore solemn, tense expressions as they sat in silence. It was Alaric who finally broke it.

"Are you sure he's going to come at all?" he asked. "I mean why put faith in him? Some old friend of Damon's. He didn't even wait to see if Damon came through okay. He just left. Now he suddenly cares?"

Stefan let out a long breath. This was why he told Ric and no one else. Enzo wasn't much of a favorite amongst the gang. Heck, Stefan couldn't stand him. He had been more trouble than help from the first time Stefan met him. After learning Damon killed his girl, Enzo became even more of a pain. Now, he wanted to help?

"I told you, Ric," he said. "He bumped into me two weeks ago. He asked me where Damon was. I told him what happened. I didn't have time to read his expression before he left. Yesterday, I find him in my house, on my couch. He looked at me and told me he had a way to possibly bring Damon back and to meet him here. Besides, this is why I told you and made you swear not to tell anyone else. Just in case this is some twisted game, I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

Ric frowned at that. He wasn't sure what to make of it. In all honesty, he didn't know Enzo. He never met the man. Then again, going by what everyone had said about him, Ric was glad he hadn't. He just knew he wouldn't get along with the man.

"Did he say anything about Bonnie?" he asked Stefan after a moment.

"I told him yesterday," he assured Ric, glancing at his watch and couldn't hold back the growl that escaped from his lips.

Ric noticed of course. Not much could aggravate or frustrate the vampire. Well, unless it started with a 'D', ended with an 'n', and had a bad habit of letting his anger rule him. Stefan loved his brother, and Ric knew that. He just couldn't tell if Stefan's emotions were because of Damon or because of the fact he was putting his faith in a guy that gave him little to no reason to. Either way, Ric was content to conclude, the issue was Damon. The reasons behind it didn't matter.

"When did he say he would be here?" Ric asked.

"A half an hour ago," he said. "He told me that he would be her at seven on the dot."

"Impatience is a little petty, don't you think?" a British accent rang out from behind them, smug and amused all at once. "I had to pick up our surprise guests, and I'm still a little rusty behind the wheel."

Ric and Stefan turned to face the voice immediately to find he wasn't alone. Liv and Luke stood beside him, completely expressionless. Something in Stefan snapped. In an instant, he had Luke by the throat. His fangs were bared for all too see, until Ric put a hand on his shoulder, instantly bringing him back to the ground ever so slightly. Still, when Stefan let Luke go he rounded on Enzo. The only thing running through his mind was how this was all the twins' fault.

"Why would you bring them here?" he asked through his teeth. "They killed my brother and fled!"

"He killed himself and my sister was dying!" Luke interrupted before Enzo could respond. "She wouldn't have been able to come back from that because the spell would have stopped. I would have lost her permanently."

Stefan punched him and this time Ric didn't intervene. He saw no point. He wasn't flashing his fangs and the witch needed a good beat down. It was only fair. Damon sacrificed himself to save everyone he cared about. That was saying a lot given how little the man liked showing his selfless side. A high pitched whistle stopped the fight and caused Ric and Stefan to both cover their ears and glare daggers at Enzo.

"Now that all of that is out of our systems," he began. "I believe we should find a quiet spot and have a little chat. We might be able to settle this matter once and for all. Hmm?"

Stefan frowned in confusion and glanced at Ric, who seemed to share it. He had no idea what his brother's former friend was up to. He didn't even know if he wanted to find out. He sighed and followed Enzo has he led them to a secluded corner of the club. He was the first to sit down and looked up at Enzo, waiting imapatiently for an explanation.

"What if Damon isn't dead anymore?" the British vampire asked, stunning the entire group.

**. . . **

_Cold, dark, and sullen. There was no color around them. No real light but not real darkness either. It was a strange place to behold. It had things that the two occupants were accustomed to: trees, grass, caves, life. Except, everything was either pitch black or snow white. It was the only light in the place. Everything around them literally glowed. The intensity of the glow was entirely random. It seemed to depend on the mood and energy that was present in the atmosphere around them at the current moment. At the moment, their suroundings were all black._

"Well, Toto, we are _definitely_ not in Kansas anymore," the man quipped as he looked around their new home.

His companion rolled her eyes. He said that or some other similar variation everytime he felt either of them needed the reminder. As if! She knew this wasn't home. She also knew that he needed to stop picking the Dark Period, as they started calling it, to do most of the reminding.

"I know this, Damon," Bonnie said. "Can we just find a cave or something fast?"

Damon rolled his eyes but kept walking, stopping only a second as an inhuman cry pierced the air. He pulled Bonnie forward automatically so that she was both in front of him and within easy reach. At the beginning, she would protest this in aggravation. She had only stopped when she realized what he was actually doing. Damon let her believe his actions were out of some arrogant opinion or attitude, like he wanted her to be the first to face the danger. She hadn't realized the truth. He was keeping her within easy access. He wanted to protect her, not the other way around.

It was an odd admittance, and it was only spoken aloud once after he had shoved her into a ditch at one point. She had shouted at him, accusing him of being a vicious fiend among other nastier things. He lost it then and shouted back pointing out that he just saved her life. Because of his idea they both carry a weapon, he had fashioned each of them a knife for protection. Bonnie wouldn't use hers. He wouldn't hesitate. So with his knife, he had been able to kill the creature that had been at his feet _only_ because he had manage to get _her_ out of its path of the thing's fixation. After that, she stopped arguing with him about his need to keep her safe. The question of why never came up. The answer was obvious and never needed to be addressed.

They were all the other had left, and neither of them wanted to face this unknown place - realm? - by themselves. Besides, it took some time but they learned they really could get along. They complimented each other nicely. She was the cool and calm to his heat and rashness. Damon had actually started calling her Steffy when she got into one of the serious, logical moods to counter a possibly suicidal scheme from Damon, causing him to miss his brother to the point his heart ached. When he started missing Stefan, missing Elena wasn't far behind. Then, he would be miserable and moody for hours. Too Bonnie's credit, she never got to irritated with him in those moment. She left him alone during them unless she thought he might do something unreasonably stupid.

Another shriek, this time louder - right over head from the sound of it, brought Damon back to the moment at hand. He glanced up at the same instant as Bonnie and let loose a few strands of colorful words. They were so screwed.


	2. Shock of the New

The winged snake dived at them and on instinct Damon shoved Bonnie forward, jumpstarting her to move. At that moment, he really wished that she had been a vampire. While he still had his abilities, he couldn't use his vampire-enhanced speed without leaving her behind and he couldn't do that. So he matched his pace with her, pulling her to her feet whenever she lost her footing. The flying serpent shrieked again and dived, this time forcing him and Bonnie apart. Damon ran to Bonnie with his vampire speed and tumbled with her into the trees. Only then was when he allowed himself to relax. It was short-lived as he heard a growl just feet from where they crouched.

Snaking his hand into Bonnie's pocket, he pulled out her knife and looked over his shoulder to find the cat-like creature that had joined the party. The creature wasn't beautiful like Earth's version of big cats. It was a golden color with several rows of fangs and a nasty barbed tail, making him think of those hideous manticores from the Greek books his father made him read all the time as a child in an attempt to "broaden" his horizons. Whatever, he just loathed the thought of either of his sons being deemed as anything but the best of the best. Only difference with the creature that was contemplating which of the two it should eat first from the mythical manticore was that it had no features resembling a human being in the slightest.

"Bonnie, soon as you get the chance," he said in her ear, "run."

With both knives in hand, he waited for the creature's eyes to fall on him. The second that they made eye contact, Damon smirked and ran out, back into the open area where the flying serpent was waiting. Now the serpent thing held that majestic and lethal beauty that Earth's predators were commonly known for. It had red and black scales over its body and its wings were glossy black with red veins. And to his relief, the feline creature followed.

Bonnie took that chance to move, but she stopped in her tracks to look back at Damon who was now outnumbered. How could she just leave him behind? What if something happened to him? Damon's eyes met hers and rage darkened his normally blue orbs.

"Less standing more moving, Judgy!" he snapped. "I'll find you when I lose them. GO!"

Blinking, she turned and took off at a dead run, searching for a cave and praying that wouldn't be occupied. All the while, she tried to ignore the growing guilt. If anything happened to Damon, she would be alone. That terrified her, especially as his next words rang through the air. They weren't directed at her, but they made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Come get me, boys!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I'm tender and taste just like chicken. I even got some hot sauce..."

He was still yelling, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Either she had gotten out of range or he was running in the opposite direction. It was probably a bit of both. She kept running.

**. . . **

"There was a rumor on the Other Side that I picked up on during my time there," Enzo explained for the second time.

After he explained this to the witches, Stefan, and Ric, the surviving Salvatore insisted that he come and explain it yet again to the rest of his friends. Enzo reluctantly agreed with one condition. No one could ask him why he was helping them bring Damon back. Stefan and Ric didn't like it, but they agreed. If Enzo's motives were less than benevolent, they would deal with it when it became necessary.

"You mean Oblivion where you and Luke should have been sucked up with the other pests like Katherine, Silas, and Markos?" Caroline shot, surprising everyone in the room who knew her best.

"Care - " Elena began but the blonde vampire just kept talking.

"Don't 'Care' me, Elena," she snapped. "Why do they get to live when our friends didn't? Why do they get a second chance when the two most selfless people got obliterated with the Other Side."

"Did you just call Damon selfless?" Matt piped up, the only one brave enough to interrupt their heated blonde friend in order to point out what everyone else wanted to.

"Oh shut up, Matt!" she exclaimed, causing him to back away with his hands raised in surrender. "Look, I'm the first person to jump on the 'Hate-on-Damon' bandwagon, but he blew himself up so we could have a shot at having everyone back and our home back. He didn't make it back in time because he stopped to save my _mom_!"

"Wait what?" this time it was Stefan's turn to interrupt, taking the chance when she wiped a stray tear from her eye.

Why hadn't he heard about this? He stared at Caroline curiously, but he noticed Ric shift slightly and turned the gaze on him. What had Ric decided not to mention?

"When I found Damon he had already found Liz," Ric explained. "She had a beam pinning her and he was struggling to get it off her. I helped him. I felt Caroline and Liz should both know so I told them first chance I could."

"Thank you for that, but I wasn't finished," she snapped again then turned to glare at Enzo and Luke. "How did you both get to live? You," she pointed at Luke, "could have helped your sister, allowed her to channel you, jumped in with her. FOR ONE MORE PERSON! AND YOU!" she explained, flashing in front of Enzo to jab that same finger into his chest angrily. "You left your so-called best friend to rot. Yes, he killed your Maggie but newsflash, the no humanity thing isn't fun and he was the one who advocated your resurrection even after you drowned his girlfriend and nearly killed him, Luke and Stefan. He doesn't do that stuff for just anyone. In case you haven't noticed, his default personality is 'Dick!'"

Caroline took a deep, calming breath and looked around the room at her friends. They all wore similar expressions. They were all stunned by her outburst. Matt was staring at her, wide-eyed, in his little corner. His mouth working a mile a minute, but no sound coming out. Tyler was standing beside him, eyes blinking just as fast. Jeremy and Elena, seated next to each other on the loveseat, simply stared at the sibling beside them and then back to her. Ric had his head tilted to the side, a glass of bourbon halfway to his lips. Then, there was Stefan who had been sitting in an old reading chair. He had a shocked expression on his face but amusement sparkled in his eyes. It was him she wanted to throw a cushion at.

Yes, she deserved their stunned gawking. Damon had never been her favorite person after everything he did to her. He still wasn't, and she didn't think he ever would be. Still, she was brought to be respectful and it seemed wrong to bash on the dead, especially when that dead person - though a dick by default - should have come back with everyone else and most likely would have if he had been selfish and left her mom pinned. She already lost her dad, and she didn't know if she could handle losing her mom, too. So, yes, Damon got a free pass, one moment where Caroline ate her pride and acknowledged that the older Salvatore had some good in him. It was more than she could say for Enzo and the two witch twins who played with them all in equal measure.

"Damon, let Enzo kill Jeremy remember?" Liv shot, irritated. "Luke didn't kill Damon or Bonnie. He just didn't want me to die with them."

"Bonnie, knew she wouldn't survive the Other Side when it fell apart and yet she helped us bring everyone back," Care continued. "If it wasn't for Damon's rash plan, the traveller's would still be running Mystic Falls. Good or bad, he had his moments and he was a part of the gang even when most of us would deny it. They're our family, I will stand by them any time, any day. Even Damon's homicidal ass. So I suggest you not get on my nerves if you don't want to get a taste of _my _bad side... Oh, wait, you did when I killed your brother. Didn't you?"

"Caroline!" Stefan exclaimed.

Liv and Luke both flinched. She was right. They hadn't forgotten just how easy it had been for her to snap Luke's neck. If Liv was honest, the memory still haunted her. Pinching her lips together, she glared at Caroline silently until a large crash made everyone jump. Liv looked around to a small side table missing and a shattered window. She only figured out what must have happened when she followed Stefan's glare to a very impatient Enzo.

"That was very touching," he said. "Now, how about we get back to the relevant topic? Shall we? Oblivion, heaven, hell. Those were all rumors, worries, hopes. They were the common conceptions of most. I met a crazy old bat in my stay though. She had a different theory. I honestly assumed that death had made her insane. Now, I am not so sure."

* * *

**Okay so don't hate me if Caroline is out of character to you. I personally felt that in this situation she would likely stick up for him at least a little bit against Liv, Luke, and Enzo. They're outsiders after all, and Damon did save her mom so I would think Care had enough of a heart to acknowledge that if Ric actually were to tell her why Damon took so long to get back. Dysfunctional as it is, Damon was still part of the team so to me at least it made sense that he would that she would stand up for him when he couldn't. Plus, I thought it would have a little more impact if the one who gave Damon the most hell would be the best one to point out that he really did something good. That being said, I hoped you liked it.**


	3. The Otherworld

Stefan sighed as Enzo explored the room. This was ridiculous. The British fiend was irritating him to no end. He was smug and useless. It was a disgusting scene. He had yet to reveal what his batty lady friend told him. Stefan knew everyone wanted to know. They _needed _to know. Enzo knew it. He knew the gang would give anything to have their friends back, and he was toying with them all. Getting fed up, Stefan decided to tell them.

"Apparently, it's like this other world that some people end up," he said. "They die but apparently sometimes they get a second chance. Only this otherworld is more of a trial of sorts. They dead are alive, but they can't go back to the land of the living without succeeding in whatever trial or help from the outside world, us. Or so he says. Did I miss anything, Enzo?"

"You're no fun," he replied. "You know that, right?"

Stefan ignored him, sharing an exasperated expression with Ric. Neither one had the patience for the man that claimed to be Damon's friend. Well, before Damon confessed to killing his girl.

"So they're stuck there?" Elena asked, frowning deeply. "What sort of trial do they have to pass in order to get home?"

"That," Enzo said, "is something the lady failed to mention. I got the impression it was either metaphorical or just different for everyone."

**. . .**

Bonnie paced inside the cave, peeking out of the entrance here and there. Damon was still gone. Their little world was still in the Dark Period, which meant that the dangers were still lurking. She didn't want to be stuck here alone. She was actually scared. She never liked him much when they were alive. She didn't agree with his methods in most of the drama that encircled their lives. Still, in this situation, she realized that she wouldn't want to be here with anyone else. She probably wouldn't have survived this long. Damon was nothing if not stubborn, determined, and - dare she admit it - fiercely protective. One would think that he would just leave her to fend for herself - one less thing to worry about. Bonnie thought he would. He surprised her though, refusing to leave her. Heck, he refused to let _her _leave him. This was the second time that he saved her life, too. Although, it was the first time he did it by using himself as bait.

Sighing, she retreated deeper into the cave and decided to try and sleep. It was freezing, and the ground was like ice, but it had been a while since she was able to sleep. Still, she didn't mind trying. She even began to drift off into a fitful sleep until a shuffling noise from outside the cave startled her awake. Frowning, she groggily made her way over to the entrance with the large rock she found. She may not like the idea of using a knife on anything, even if it was trying to eat them, but she didn't like being unprotected. She didn't have her magic anymore thanks to dying as the anchor so a rock was the best she had. Too bad she was grabbed out of nowhere and ended up dropping the thing on the ground as she began to thrash and scream. Her captor only tightened their hold around her waist and covered her mouth.

"Bon-Bonnie!" Damon's voice rang in her ear. "Calm down. It's me. It's just me. You're okay."

Soon as she stopped thrashing and freaking out, he let her go. She turned to face him, and he mentally readied himself for a slap in the face. He would deserve it. He knew that. Of course, he never meant to scare her. He just wanted to get her attention without alerting anymore playmates. He obviously miscalculated his approach. Still, much to his surprise, the first thing she did wasn't hit him. She actually hugged him. Then, she slapped him. He blinked in shock and stepped out of her reach.

"Don't ever do that again!" she snapped. "You scared me half to death, you ass!"

Damon felt his lips twitch upward into his trademark smirk, but he quickly rethought it and forced the amusement down. Though magic-free, she was still a hell-fire and she carried a hell of a punch. Lately, she was getting bolder with her attacks on him, too. He winced slightly as he brought up the memory of his near miss. She almost got him where she was aiming, but he managed to dodge. The girl was fast, she got him a few centimeters left of his groin that time. It hurt and he was sure if she got her mark, it would have hurt a lot worse. She knew it would. He cleared his throat.

"Won't happen again," he assured her.

**. . .**

The silence was deafening for hours as everyone tried to come to terms with this new development. Elena was just finally accepting that Damon was gone. She didn't know if she could handle allowing herself to hope only to be met with nothing in return. She frowned at the thought. She couldn't lose him again.

Jeremy was fighting the urge not to bounce off the walls in excitement. To him, there was no chance of failure. No matter who died, they always seemed to be able to bring them back when it mattered. The fact that it took a year to bring back Ric, proved it. Jeremy, himself, was brought back to life twice! That wasn't including the Gilbert Ring, though. Still, everyone they cared about usually got a second chance or sometimes even a third. Granted there were some who didn't, but that was less than the number of those resurrected so Jeremy had hope in their current statistics.

Matt and Tyler were on the fence with it. It would be great to have Bonnie back. Heck, they sort of missed Damon, too. This was different they the other times, though. Matt felt they should stop playing life and death. They weren't God after all. Surely, the events that led up to the Other Side's fall were the universe sending Karma out for them. Tyler wasn't as dismal with his opinions, but he had to admit that Matt had a point. Maybe they should stop resurrecting their friends. Bonnie died twice. Once for Jeremy and then again for everyone else. Damon even went with her. That had to be Karma, because up until then, Damon was too stubborn to die.

Caroline wasn't sure what to think, but then again, she mostly just wanted Bonnie back. Damon was more of an afterthought. Yes, she was happy and grateful for what he did for her mom, but he was a 173 year-old dick. She wouldn't be too upset if he didn't come out of this. She looked at Stefan and sighed. Okay, yeah, she would care. Stefan loved his brother. It wouldn't be right for him to lose Damon all over again.

Ric on the other hand didn't trust Enzo as far as he could throw him. He knew Stefan didn't either. He only just met the man. He didn't like him in the slightest. Maybe it was because of what little he saw of his interactions with Damon and the others. He didn't care what Enzo claimed. Ric didn't see him as a friend of Damon's. What he saw was a dick who preferred the self-destructive and murderous Damon as opposed to the real Damon.

"Okay, say we believe you," he said, finally breaking the silence. "How do would we go about getting them back?"

Enzo looked at with a devious smirk that Ric couldn't help but compare to Damon's. Even at his worst, Damon's smirk carried something good and warm with it. Enzo's was just purely devious. It settled in Ric's gut the wrong way.

"That is where the Parker twins come in," he said. He turned to them. "Should one of you tell them or should I?"

* * *

**So another update already. I am proud of this story. I really do hop you are liking it as much as I do. Anyway, I would love a little help. I plan on giving each character some love, something positive in all the Hell I plan to put them through. It leaves two of our guys (Ric and Ty) without significant others so what type of beings would you like to see. You want more humans, a wolfy, something new that the gang has to deal with while on the journey of regaining their two lost members? Also, the pairings I have already set up are kinda out there, but if I can get them to flow right I think they will be fun to watch form and grow. I hope you guys feel the same. **


	4. Mine Enemy

Liv and Luke eyed each other for what felt like hours but could have easily been seconds as they debated. Eventually, Liv rolled her eyes and turned back to the group at large. They might as well cooperate. Enzo dragged them here for a reason. This was the part Enzo decided to hold back from the beginning. There was a reason they were there. There was a reason he chose them instead of some other witch without the volatile history that Liv and Luke shared with the Mystic Falls Gang. No, it had to be them.

"The thing Enzo has so craftily left out is that the crazy old lady was a Parker witch," she said. "She was a relative of ours, and before she got taken by the oblivion or whatever, she told him to find our coven. Well, he found us, saw us, and picked us two to drag out here. Now, we're here to share a bit of family history with you all."

Liv looked at Luke for him to continue. Luke rolled his eyes. He couldn't understand why they let themselves get roped back into this group again. It cost him his life, almost permanently. It almost cost Liv hers. He really wasn't at all the least bit sympathetic. He was irritated. They shouldn't have to help them anymore! Too bad he didn't have a choice.

"She was our grandmother's twin sister and left the coven when she was eighteen," he began. "She wanted to travel the world and learn more. So the story goes anyway. Basically, few years before she comes back she learns about this alternate world and a legend that magic can be drawn from the plane. This world she learned of fascinated her, so when she finally came back at age fourty, she wouldn't stop raving about it. She died five years ago, trying to access that power source. She was eighty and a complete nutjob."

"Or so the rest of the coven thought," Liv added. "However, Enzo came and found us, relaying her message and we did some digging. Apparently, our great-aunt had been there herself or at the very least, helped someone come back from it. My grandmother even witnessed it because she told us everything and even gave us her sister's grimoire, marking the pages we would need."

Stefan listened to this all in total silence. He didn't know what to think. On the one hand, he didn't trust any of them. Liv was ruthless. Luke was decent up until the point where he helped his sister try to kill him and Elena. Then there was Enzo. He didn't even know where to begin with him. He never liked Enzo. At first, it was because he was helping Wes. Then, he started hanging out with Damon, encouraging his brother's spiral to self-destruction instead of being a real friend and actually dissuading him. Stefan could see the impact that he had on his brother, and the more they seemed to be together the more twisted Damon seemed to become. Even when Enzo used Stefan as the weapon to his own demise, they hadn't been rid of him.

"Here's something I can't wrap my head around," Stefan finally said, his voice thick with the emotions he was trying to keep down. "You did nothing for my brother except let him spiral so you could get your twisted jollies on revenge. He got stuck with Wes's damn ripper concoction, because of you. Then, you find out he killed your girl - not knowing who she was til that day - and shut off your humanity then used me to kill yourself hoping he'd hate me for it."

Enzo turned to look at Stefan, slightly surprised. This was the first time he spoke directly to him since they met up at the bar. Up until then, he was quiet and civil. Obviously, it was an act and he was losing his patience. Enzo grinned. This was going to be fun. He just knew it as he watched Stefan get up from where he sat and approached him, the surviving Salvatore's gaze smoldering with barely contained rage.

"It doesn't look like your switch is back on," he said, grabbing Enzo by the throat. "You're still the dick I killed. So why does No-Humanity-Enzo give a flying rat's rear end about bringing his so-called friend back when he doesn't actually seem to give a shit? And why the hell should we trust you?"

Instead of answering, Enzo threw him in the air and watched as he landed in a heap on the ground a good distance away. He saw Ric tense up and take a step forward. Elena stopped him immediately by placing a hand on his arm. Enzo grinned again.

"I have my reasons for helping, Stefan," he said, once noticing the Salvatore getting to his feet. "I guess you're just going to have to trust me a little while longer."

With that said, Enzo left. He knew when he overstayed his welcome. There was absolutely nothing wrong with retreating for the moment, leaving it at it's stalemate where neither party was willing to trust the other.

**. . . **

Once Enzo left, Liv and Luke found it stupid to stay so they left too. Caroline was certain it was because they figured if they stayed their precious little lives would end faster than they could blink. The thought made her smile slyly. She wouldn't kill them this time, but she couldn't vouch for anyone else in the group. She couldn't say that she would stop any of them either or mind it. They caused her and her friends more trouble than they were worth in her opinion and she didn't like it. Sighing at her devious and careless pathway of thoughts, she got out of the shower and dressed in her pajamas.

She planned on going to bed early tonight. The witch twins promised to be back before noon to discuss their plan of action, and Caroline was inclined to wake up long before then for several reasons. For one thing, someone had to make sure that everyone was going to be there and attentive. For another, she didn't know long it would take so they needed food and drinks. No one could concentrate and scheme on empty stomachs while dehydrating. They wouldn't get anything done so she would need to make sure there was plenty to fuel them as well as curb the bloodlust for the vampies. A bloodbath would be bad too. Then she had to make sure that everyone in the gang were in positive vibes. So the not-so-morning people would need to be woken up with enough time to get their coffee and bad moods out of their systems. She had lots to do and no time to make an exact schedule to do it.

"You have your control freak face on," a voice jarred her from her mental to do list. "What are scheming up?"

She blinked to find Stefan in the hallway as she walked down it to her room. She hadn't even realized she left the bathroom. She looked at him with a slightly embarassed smile. She really hadn't expected to bump into him, though she was considering checking on him before officially calling it a night.

"Well someone's gotta play JFK and prevent World War III tomorrow," she said indignantly. "I mean if it goes like it went today we might end up with a metaphorical nuclear war on our hands. You saw Ric, Stefan. If Elena hadn't taken hold of his arm, I think Enzo would be in pieces."

"No war is going to break out tomorrow," he said with a laugh.

"Need I remind you that you actually charged the snarky Brit and got thrown into a wall," she countered, raising an eyebrow.

Stefan laughed again. He couldn't help it. Caroline's nature to take control of any and every situation she could, amused him to no end. That controlling trait made things a little more entertaining. He didn't have any problem with her control freakiness. It was just who she was, and most of the time, her heart was in the right place. In the end, that was all that mattered.

"Caroline, no one is going to die tomorrow," he said with a smile. "Damon's not here to deliberately piss you off."

Caroline froze and looked up at him, making him realize what he said. He winced and looked down at his feet. Five months and talking about his brother had gotten a little easier. That was up until today and the prospect of possibly getting his brother back resurfaced. Now, he kept reliving the day Damon died. He kept reliving the pain of it, as if it were fresh. The thing was, he was scared. He didn't want to allow himself to hope only to lose Damon all over again. He didn't think his humanity would survive the disappointment.

"Look, Caroline, I know you don't like my brother," he said much more serious now. "I know it wasn't your first choice, but thank you for speaking up on his behalf today."

"He's more than capable of sticking up for himself and his actions, but he's not here to do it," she said, shrugging like it was no big deal despite the fact that both of them knew it was. "Everyone likes Bonnie so I know the Parker twins weren't going to jump at her. Damon, on the other hand, only you and Elena usually like him. Still, he was part of the gang, and even though I _hate_ is methods, I won't let any outsider think for one minute that they can bad mouth or dismiss his somewhat _less _diabolically evil but ultimately _affective_ schemes to save our butts. Only we can dog on him. It's the right way. It's how it's supposed to be, and I can be a grown up and admit he was a little better before the incident. Plus, you're my friend and he's your brother. I can't really be incentive when he's dead and it obviously still hurts you. That would be mean of me."

"Caroline Forbes, when did you stop being a mean girl?" he teased.

"Shut up!" she shrieked, whacking him on the shoulder.

Stefan laughed and inched away from her reach. It wasn't a normal carefree laugh. It was hollow and broken. He still couldn't bring himself to be completely happy - not when his brother got happiness only to have it all brutally taken from him. Still, Caroline did get him to let it out somewhat. He was able to laugh with her.

"You never answered my question," he said as he walked with her down the hall - toward her room and the staircase. He had yet to feed that day and had been heading down from his room when he bumped into his blonde friend.

"Brunch," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's plotting day tomorrow, I wanted to make sure we had brain fuel just in case it's going to be an all day thing. And I have to make sure the grumpy risers are in good moods before Enzo and the Parkers come back. It won't help any if all we accomplish tomorrow is picking fights. Anyway, I'm off to bed. Lots to do tomorrow. Night Stefan."

**. . .**

Enzo was sitting on the couch of his newly acquired house and stared up at the ceiling. He had to admit Stefan had a point. Then again, Enzo was nothing if not a man of his word. Most days. Damon was supposed to come back with the rest of them. He knew that. He couldn't particular say he cared, but he was a soldier. Some codes stuck with you even when there was no emotional ties to them. That being said, he liked that little blonde vampire that Damon complained about on occasion. Spending some time with her didn't hurt. He did tell her he'd see her around.

He looked up at the front door as it was knocked on and smirked. It was about time. He thought they'd never get there. Getting to his feet, he opened the door to let the Parker twins inside.

"Finally," he said. "I didn't realize that I enlisted the help of Grandma and Grandpa."

Liv rolled her eyes, and Luke ignored him as they headed over to the couch. Enzo glanced outside and shut the door before following them into the living room. It was time for them to discuss the finer points in their little arrangement.

* * *

**Woo. Another chapter. Hope you all like this one. Anyone else wonder if Caroline will succeed in her little 'no WWIII' campaign? We'll have to wait for chapter five. No Bonnie and Damon this chapter, but don't worry. We'll see them again. And still looking for species you would like to see introduced as some O.C's. Especially chicas for Ric and Ty (when there's a tie on a werewolf OC one needs a breaker or compromise so yeah keep hitting me up with what you would like to see). They need love. **


	5. Revelations

Damon tilted his head as he watched Bonnie work. He just returned from getting some wood. It was still the Dark Period, which meant it was freezing. When they first experienced this, it was Damon who decided to try to make a fire. The fires here didn't look the same as the fires back home. Like the rest of this place it had no color. It wasn't black though. It was pure white, but it was warm and that was all that mattered. He started trying to teach Bonnie after that. She was a slow learning.

"You're getting better," he said as he noted the swirls of smoke coming from the kindling.

Bonnie jumped, dropping her friction stick and looking up at him. He smiled at her and set the extra wood aside. He came over and sat next to her, taking the friction stick between his hands. He started rubbing his hands together, keeping the stick firmly between his palms until the kindling caught flame and he tossed it in the pile of wood he retrieved earlier. He threw the stick in afterwards and looked at Bonnie.

"You see the smoke and the start up glow and get excited," he said. "You slow your pace and the flame dies before it's even born. Stefan had the same problem when I taught him."

Damon saw Bonnie's gaze turn questioning, as if she wasn't quite sure if he was being honest or playing her. He sighed. Despite dying together, the judgy little former witch/anchor was never going to trust his intentions. Would she? He doubted it.

"A few years before our mother died, Stefan asked our father to take us camping," he said. "The man hated camping. He was a business man first and foremost, never liked to get his hands dirty. Our mother knew this but insisted he take us, and so he told Stefan if he could make a fire then we could go. He was only six. I was furious, because I knew that he didn't expect him to be able to do it. I taught him. I helped him. He made his first flame a month later, and we went camping that weekend."

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He knew why. She couldn't believe he would do something to directly help his brother. He figured that she was probably trying to figure out what had been in it for him. It pissed him off, but instead of snapping at her, he decided to explain.

"I'm not a complete dick, Bonnie," he said. "At least I wasn't back then. I was a thirteen year-old kid who loved my brother and had no idea of the things that awaited us. Believe it or not, but I just wanted him to get his camping trip and not set himself on fire in the process."

Bonnie frowned for a second, opened her mouth to say something, and then just frowned again. She couldn't say that she actually doubted what he told her. She knew there was some love between the two Salvatores. She couldn't imagine Stefan caring about him as much as he did if they never had anything but bitterness and hate in them for the other. Damon wouldn't have let Stefan live for whatever happened between them that caused Damon to hate him so passionately for so long. It was just that there was something dark in his expression, as if the happiness he was implying was never there. She couldn't help but feel that there was something that had ruined that memory for him.

"Was your father proud?" she asked.

"He praised Stefan the entire trip," he said stiffly, tossing some black moss into the fire.

She caught the bitterness in his tone and frowned. There was definitely something there that he was reliving even though he obviously never wanted to. Still, it only made her want to know. So, she took a deep breath and asked.

"Stefan take all the credit for it?" she asked, figuring it would be smarter to avoid asking directly about him.

"No," he said, a smile creeping over his features. "He told our father the truth. Minus his ripper binges, my brother never had a malicious bone in his body. He always made sure credit was given where credit was due."

"What happened?" she asked, biting her lip.

Damon looked at her and debated the consequences of telling her the truth. He threw a stick into the flames and decided to just tell her. All they had was time. All they had was each other. They couldn't do that if they kept their walls up. Bonnie had a right to know a little bit about him.

"Giuseppe," he said, finding no point in referring to him by title anymore. "He expected us to be the best of the best of the best. He could be contradictory though. Certain things he expected us to know but never to do. Those things he deemed as necessary for the _mind_ but useless for our roles as Salvatore men. We had servants by the dozens, an amazing estate. Making fires were for people like farmhands and the lesser men. I had to make the fires to teach my brother. The worst part, in the Old Man's eyes, was that I did it in front of my peers. My brother was honest and told him a few of my friends watched us and even helped on occassion. He took me out for firewood, but he really just wanted to get me alone so he could take his belt to my backside for humiliating him."

Damon looked over at Bonnie as he admitted this and waited. He hadn't lied, but he may have understated the truth just a little. His father was a bastard who had no tolerance for disappointment. It made living with the man impossible most days. Suddenly feeling awkward for the little bit he shared, he stood up and left her in the cave. He needed air and space. That was the only thing he knew for certain at that moment.

**. . . **

Tyler grunted as Caroline thrust a pink 'I'm hot and you know it' mug at him. If there wasn't coffee in it, he would have chucked it in the trash. _Or out the window, _he thought. It had coffee, though, and so he begrudgingly took a cautious sip of the scalding hot beverage and sighed. Italian dark roast with just the right amount of sugar. He was in heaven and could almost fall in love with his blonde ex all over again. Then, he remembered what time it was. The love was lost to the desire to strangle her. From the looks on the faces of Jeremy, Elena, Ric, he wasn't the only one who was imagining it.

"Why are we up at seven in the morning, Caroline?" he grumbled. "And, would you two care to explain the faces, because I don't get the humor?"

He spoke to Matt and Stefan because both of them wore similar expressions of amusement. It made Tyler want to bash their heads together. Since he was human again, however, he doubted that he would be able to get a hold of Stefan long enough to attempt it. Still, imagining that he could, made him feel better until he reminded himself what would happen if he accidently killed any of them.

"Because you people aren't morning people and I don't want to deal with fighting while we plan out this rescue mission!" Caroline snapped. "I need you all to get the grump out of your systems before they get here and help make brunch."

Tyler sighed, rolled his eyes, then glared at Stefan and Matt as he waited for their excuses. Their grins were downright nauseating. He hated both of them.

"Don't look at me," Matt said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "It's called school and work, remember? At least, she didn't wake us up at five or six. And you're just grumpy because you're human again and that werewolf gene wants to be triggered. Ric is grumpy because he's hungry probably. Elena probably only got an hour of sleep, at most. And Jeremy's hungover."

"What?!" Elena snapped, turning an accusatory glare at her brother.

"Gee, thanks," Jeremy rolled her eyes. "I thought with Damon dead we'd finally be dick free?"

Tyler watched as Elena smacked Jeremy upside the head and then promptly ignored them and turned to Stefan.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Caroline warned me ahead of time and both of us have been up since six," he said. "She's spent an hour making a schedule and I cooked breakfast. So you're welcome."

"See?" Caroline piped up triumphantly. "Be glad you all got to sleep in for an extra hour. Now, shut up, eat your breakfast, drink your coffee, and for the vampires, blood is on the stove in the teapot. Enjoy because we have work to do and not much time to do it."

**. . .**

By eleven o'clock, the parlor was occupied by the gang, the Parker twins, and Enzo. There was a collapsible table against one wall and it was filled with the little sandwiches and snacks Caroline insisted on either making or buying. There was also liters of assorted bevarages and the fridge had blood for the vampires at the ready. Just in case.

"So how do we get Damon and Bonnie back?" Caroline asked when it was clear no one else was going to step up and take charge.

"From what we have been able to gather," Liv said, "it sounds like the trials are set in a specific time. They don't just happen. Luke and I did some digging yesterday, and we found that the spell isn't necessarily going to bring anyone back. It's to jumpstart the trials so that they have the opportunity to come back in this lifetime. We misunderstood our grandmother. Her sister got trapped in this otherworld. Our grandmother found the spell and tried to bring her back."

"Grandma thought it hadn't worked until one day she ran into her our aunt," Luke tag on. "So realizing we misinterpreted what this spell is meant to do, I went to talk to my grandmother again. She told me that all her sister would say when asked was that she past the test but it came a century to early. It wasn't particularly useful information."

Stefan didn't like this one bit. What the twins were saying meant that there was only a fifty percent chance that he would get his brother back. It was a fifty percent chance that Bonnie would return with him. It meant he couldn't even begin to allow himself to hope. Still, he had to try.

"Why don't you two tell them the silver lining?" Enzo said with a sly grin.

"We were lucky," Liv said. "In our research, we found a way to basically help them along in their trials. At least indirectly. We can't physically help them, but we can... give them reasons to push through just a little harder. "

"What would that be exactly?" Elena asked, speaking up to the witches for the very first time and surprising the entire group at large.

Liv looked at her and sighed. She really wasn't sure how to explain it. She didn't know how any of them would take it. She looked at her brother and tried to figure out how to put it, knowing Luke wouldn't.

* * *

**So another chapter is up and we're getting closer to getting Bonnie and Damon back. There will be at least three new characters coming up in the next few chapters to stir things up. I hope you liked this chapter. **


	6. So It Begins

Stefan listened closely as Liv explained what they needed. It was quite simple really. They needed the ingredients and tools the spell called for, but according to the twins, the talisman that was needed had to be found as well. It was borrowed by their grandmother and given back to the witch who owned it. She needed to be found and the talisman would probably have to be , they needed to find another survivor that was pulled out of the otherworld. That would establish a direct link to this world and that one.

Stefan looked over to Caroline and smiled in amusement. She was actually sitting there taking notes. When she finally stopped, she straightened up and her features immediately turned serious. He could tell immediately that she was in 'control mode'.

"Okay," she said. "Since there is a lot to do and we all want this done correctly and as painless and quick as possible, I set us up in three teams, taking on each of the main tasks. Ingredients and main necessities will be Enzo, Elena, Stefan and I. Finding the survivor Luke, Matt, and Tyler. That leaves Ric, Liv, and Jeremy to retrieve the talisman and make sure it will work. So, Parker twins, do you know who owns this talisman and what it looks like?"

Liv and Luke looked at each other as they tried to decide if they should tell them or not. After a moment Liv shrugged and looked at Caroline.

"Her name was MaryAnne Tyler," she said. "She was a good friend of our grandmother. She passed away a few weeks ago so I assume the talisman has passed down to her daughter or granddaughter."

"Liv, locate that talisman," Caroline said authoritavely. "Luke start locating that survivor. Enzo, work on the supply list so we can make a checklist."

**. . .**

Hours passed and Damon was still gone. The only reason Bonnie wasn't looking for him was because the Dark Period was finally over. The world was now suddenly bright white. The Light Period was good. It made Bonnie feel better on her own. Still, she wondered if Damon was okay. Even though the Light Period was the safest part of their strange new world, Damon left her when the monsters were still out there and waiting to kill them. Did he get ambushed by something before the good stuff came back?

Sighing, she decided to sleep for a bit. If he wasn't back when she woke up, she would go looking. She really didn't think her questions would affect him like they did. She wondered, as she fixed up her makeshift bed, why. Nothing ever seemed to phase him. Why would those questions do what nothing else ever had? It was a conundrum for later. She lied down and closed her eyes to rest. Before she knew it, she was out and off into dream land.

Damon wasn't far at all. In fact, whenever he took off in one of his moods, he always tried to stay within hearing range. He could hear her moving about but never went to check on her. If she weren't alright, he would know. She was fine and that was all that mattered. Half of his little walk of solitude consisted of him trying to push back memories he didn't want to dwell on. How strange it was to talk of his near-nonexistent relationship with his father only to have the conversation pull up memories that never involved him. All he saw was his brother and Elena.

When the glow changed from black to white around him, he had to blink a few times as his eyesight tried to adjust. He didn't like the Light Period much. He saw better in the dark. The pure white hurt his eyes. No matter, it meant they could relax some. He liked that. Sighing, he picked up the beast he killed and headed back to the cave. At least they had food.

That was something else they learned quickly after they got here. It was how they knew that they weren't dead. They needed food and water. Damon still needed blood. Damon had been feeding from the animals he killed. He had to be careful, though. A lot of the animals' blood weren't edible and he ended up throwing it all back up. Like the beast he just killed. It was strange. He would drink the blood and get sick but once cooked, most animals lost their toxic blood.

He never asked Bonnie for her blood. He just waited it out for the animals whose blood he could digest. Sometimes it wasn't so bad. He could feed daily. Other times the food wouldn't come to him and when he tried to hunt, he found nothing. Stefan was better at animal hunting. Damon hunted humans, not animals. It was different. So, he did the best he could but he made certain that Bonnie got food regularly. There wasn't much else he could of them had to be at full strength in a consistent fashion.

**. . .**

Caroline's teams had split up quite easily. The witches leading the bits that needed their mojo to find more efficiently. Liv and Luke started on locator spells for the person that they were assigned to find thanks to Caroline's need to always run the show. Liv was not happy about it at all, but she held her tongue and tried to find the talisman. It wasn't easy. She eventually found her location after a few hours. By then, she grudgingly had to thank the chipper, blonde vampire for her foresight. Liv ended up scarfing down two of the sandwiches and a piece of pie - which she downed with Dr. Pepper in large gulps. She was dumb enough to skip breakfast so - not even an hour after getting started on the locator spell - she was starving. By three, she managed to figure out that the talisman they needed wasn't far away at all. She looked over at her little assigned team.

"It's in Richmond," she said. "Wanna head out there tonight or tomorrow?"

She watched as Ric and Jeremy looked at each other before nodding. Liv was actually glad. She really didn't want to do much travelling with this lot. She was certainly not in the mood to get stuck in a car with the new Original and the Elena's little brother.

* * *

**So this one took a little longer than I wanted it to, but I liked it. That being said. I'm planning on the next few chapters to carry some flashbacks. Definitely a nice one between Stefan and Damon next chapter. However, I'm sure they're not the only ones you would like to see in a flashback, so suggestions would be great. Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. ^_^ I love to hear what people think.**


End file.
